Every day this week leading up to the induction ceremony, one of the eight members of the University of Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2013 will be celebrated. The Hall of Fame induction is Friday, Aug. 30 outside the Camp Randall Memorial Sports Center. The 5 p.m. ceremony is open to the public. Today's honoree is former Wisconsin men's basketball star Claude Gregory.

Aug. 29, 2013

MADISON, Wis. -- “There’s no reason to smile in basketball,” Claude Gregory was famously quoted as saying during his sophomore season in 1978.

You’ll excuse the 6-foot-8 forward as he must have been only speaking for himself. Because by the time his decorated Wisconsin career ended, Gregory had brought plenty of smiles to fans of Badgers basketball.

Claude Gregory

Gregory exited Madison holding 11 UW records, more than anybody in school history. Following a 29-point, 17-rebound performance in his final game in the Cardinal and White, Gregory raised his career totals to a then-UW record 1,745 points and 904 rebounds -- a record which still stands today.

A second-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior, Gregory was voted team MVP in 1981 after finishing third in the Big Ten with 20.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game. Gregory was a third-team All-Big Ten pick the year before.

A dependable force in the Badgers’ lineup, Gregory never missed a game during his UW career, playing in a then-school record 110 contests. Following graduation, the Washington, D.C., native would parlay his Wisconsin success into a second-round selection in the 1981 NBA Draft by his hometown Washington Bullets.

Gregory’s professional career would span nine seasons and take him all over the world. In addition to stints in the NBA and CBA, Gregory played professionally in Spain and Italy.

During his stint in the CBA, Gregory appeared in four all-star games, owning career averages of 23.3 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game. He was later named to the CBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996.